10/20/2026
The same goes here. I LOVE when a dog I produce goes on to do sports. But I won't sacrifice the quality of life for the dog in order to have that happen. Part of my selection criteria is that these dogs are capable of living as house dogs, being part of the owners life, and still go work and title. I will place a dog in a non titling home where its needs are met and the dog is appreciated for what it is, over a competition home that views the dog as a piece of equipment used to boost their ego every damn day.
Effective immediately, Maine Working Dogs will no longer place dogs in sport only homes.
To clarify, sport-only homes are not the same as homes that participate in dog sports while providing their dogs with fulfilling lives outside of competition. We have no issue with dog sports; we simply will not place dogs in homes where training, titles, and competition are their entire existence.
We breed for ourselves first and for legitimate operational work, including law enforcement, detection, search and rescue, and personal protection. Our dogs are not produced for competition, titles, or sporting recognition.
We would far rather place a suitable dog in a responsible family protection home, where the owners are committed to investing the time, training, structure, and continued development that the dog requires, than place it in a competitive environment that does not align with our program. A working dog deserves more than simply being worked. It deserves capable ownership, appropriate care, and a meaningful life outside of training.
Our responsibility to these dogs does not end when ownership changes hands. We brought them into this world, we decide where they go, and we have to live with those decisions.
